Mystery, and younger male she lived with, Salem, were part of the group of cats that we got from Van, Texas.
The Van cats came in three separate groups. The three cougars arrived January 14th, seven of the tigers arrived February 4th, and the remaining three tigers came home February 5th, 2014. All thirteen cats were re-homed as part of an agreement between In-Sync Exotics and the Caruth C Byrd Wildlife Foundation, which were re-homing their carnivores.
The Van cats ranged in ages three to eighteen, and some were more human imprinted than others. Their former home was bare concrete, with no bedding, and no toys of any kind.
Mystery was always friendly and outgoing. She loved food and would do the cutest happy dance when waiting for a treat.
Mystery walked with a very bad limp and we were told that she had the injury for “many years.” Tests showed that she had rickets in her youth due to poor nutrition, which is irreversible. This also causes difficulty when she defecates, as her pelvis is partially collapsed. There was nothing we could do surgically to repair it, so Mystery was on laxatives and occasional fluids in order to help her be more comfortable. Mystery was also declawed badly, so all her toes had been broken, and her tail had been docked. Despite all of these chronic health issues, Mystery was a happy, vibrant, and curious girl. She loved her playground and toys and soaking in her pool. Mystery doted on Salem and the two lived very happily together.
Later, she was diagnosed with pheochromocytoma, a rare noncancerous tumor on the adrenal gland. With medication and lots and lots of love, we were able to keep Mystery comfortable and happy for a long time.
In September 2022, Mystery’s appetite decreased and she became very lethargic. One day, after about of week of trying everything under the sun to tempt our beautiful, loving girl to eat and take her meds, her breathing became very labored and our hearts broke as we made the painful decision to let her go so that she could have peace. Our hearts broke for Salem and for the loss of our gorgeous Mystery. We will always love her.
